Men are employed full-time or nearly full-time at higher rates across all management levels. In contrast, women are much more likely to work part-time, although their employment rates tend to get closer to men’s as they move up the hierarchy. This means women often need to increase their working hours to advance to higher positions—or risk being overlooked for promotions if they work fewer hours.
This can be difficult because of timing and life stages. During the “family prime” years, many women reduce their working hours. Unfortunately, this often overlaps with the period when most promotions occur, typically between the ages of 31 and 40.